In an election cycle when some Democratic congressional candidates have distanced themselves from party leaders, the Republican challenger in New York's 24th district race is putting daylight between himself and the conservative " tea party. " "Are they all sophisticated? No," said Republican Richard Hanna in a debate this week in Oneonta, in central New York. "Nobody said you had to be educated, sophisticated or in any way able to articulate your point of view as well as some people might like in order to have a vote.

A former New York state official, who served as sole trustee to a $125-billion public pension fund, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges he took nearly $1 million in bribes from Los Angeles venture capitalist and philanthropist Elliott Broidy. In exchange for the bribes, Alan Hevesi, the elected New York comptroller from 2003 until his forced resignation in 2006, approved the fund's $250-million investment in Broidy's Markstone Capital Partners, a private-equity fund that invests in Israeli companies.

Put a big event in the Big Apple and you get a really big deal. Like the U.S. Open tennis tournament. It began here Monday, the granddaddy of tennis torture chambers. Win here and you either get a spot in heaven or on "Survivor. " The first of the four majors, the Australian Open, is celebrated in summer heat Down Under by mellow people who tackle most situations with beer in hand. It is early in the year and the pro players aren't angry yet. They are the toast of the town, in a town that toasts a lot. The French Open is in Paris and that's all you need to know.

Authorities probing pension-fund influence peddling on Thursday announced $17 million in settlements with targets of their investigations, including a high-profile California lobbyist and an investment firm founded by President Obama's former "auto czar." The settlements reached by the Securities and Exchange Commission and New York state Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo mark the latest development in a yearlong scandal centering on intermediaries who collected commissions from investment firms for brokering deals that brought the firms chunks of pension-fund money to manage.

A former top New York state official with ties to Southern California securities and investment executives pleaded guilty Wednesday to corruption charges in a still-unfolding "pay to play" scandal. David Loglisci, the chief investment officer at the New York State Comptroller's office from 2003 to 2007, admitted that he violated public trust by basing investment decisions on whether they would benefit former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi and his political advisor, Henry "Hank" Morris, New York Atty.

Owners of recalled Toyotas who don't feel comfortable driving their cars to a dealer for repairs can have them picked up by the carmaker at their homes -- if they live in New York state, that is. Toyota USA also will give customers loaner vehicles at no cost while the repairs to prevent potential unintended acceleration are being made. New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo announced the agreement with the company Wednesday, saying it would affect the owners of about 500,000 Toyotas in the state.

Two Los Angeles private equity firms that did business with a New York state pension fund have adopted a code of ethics that prohibits the use of controversial sales intermediaries and bars campaign contributions to pension fund board members, New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. The code goes far beyond current and proposed similar policies at the California Public Employees' Retirement System, known as CalPERS, the country's largest public pension fund. The two firms, Ares Management and Freeman Spogli & Co., both used so-called placement agents to secure business with the New York State Common Retirement Fund.

While his little brother is the one who engineered a trade to New York on draft day, Peyton Manning has always been viewed as the one who wanted nothing to do with the Big Apple. Faced with the possibility (or likelihood) of being the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft, Manning instead returned to Tennessee for a senior season that wasn't his best. The Indianapolis Colts selected Manning with the top pick the next year and history is still being made as he will start his 208th consecutive game, counting postseason, today in the AFC championship game.

Robert Joel Halderman did not think he was breaking the law when he allegedly demanded $2 million from David Letterman in exchange for the rights to a screenplay treatment about the talk show host's affairs with female staffers, a lawyer for the CBS News producer said Tuesday. In a motion to dismiss the case filed in New York Supreme Court, defense attorney Gerald Shargel claimed Halderman's actions did not meet the state's definition of extortion because he had a right to sell his story idea.

Internet giant Yahoo Inc. plans to open a data center in western New York state. Gov. David Paterson said the center in Lockport, north of Buffalo, was expected to begin operating in January 2011 and would create about 125 jobs. The governor said construction of the center, housing computer systems and other equipment, was expected to begin in the fall.